To Battersea Park
Format:Paperback
Publisher:HarperCollins Publishers
Published:28th Mar '24
Should be back in stock very soon
This paperback is available in another edition too:
- Hardback£16.99(9780008323110)
In a city under strict isolation, human connections unfold amidst hidden landscapes and personal dramas. This novel delves into shared humanity and imagination, revealing the complexities of life in lockdown. To Battersea Park captures these themes beautifully.
*Summary of "To Battersea Park"*
In "To Battersea Park," the latest novel from Booker Prize-shortlisted author, the narrative unfolds in a city gripped by restrictions that prevent its inhabitants from meeting, touching, or speaking to one another. As people remain confined to their homes, the story reveals the hidden layers of their environment, including an underground river and an unexpected grove of pomelo trees. This backdrop serves as a canvas for exploring the complexities of human connection amidst isolation, as two men navigate a future fraught with uncertainty.
The novel is structured in four parts, delving into the intimate dramas that occur within mere yards of one another. Readers witness a range of experiences, from abductions to personal breakdowns, all set against the backdrop of a city that conceals both beauty and turmoil beneath its surface. Through these narratives, the author examines the essence of humanity, imagination, and the bonds that form through storytelling, even when physical proximity is forbidden.
Critics have praised the book for its emotional depth and masterful storytelling. It is described as "electrifying" and "wise," inviting readers to reflect on the intricate layers of life within a community under lockdown. "To Battersea Park" ultimately reveals how, even in times of separation, love and understanding can emerge, highlighting the shared experiences that unite us all.
‘A brilliantly conceived and audacious novel from one of our most consistently intelligent and beguiling writers’ William Boyd, author of The Romantic
‘Surefooted and emotionally generous … A serious achievement … Less a book about the pandemic and more a book about the stories we tell ourselves about the pandemic; billions of stories, fragile, partial, and essential, each one a small but vital act of reclamation and remembrance’ Guardian
‘Interesting and innovative … A different kind of state-of-the-nation novel; an exercise in imagination and empathy born out of a moment of collective crisis’ Daily Telegraph
‘A revelation: a comedy of suburban manners slowed to the point of nightmare’Spectator
‘Challenges everything we might have taught ourselves to expect from fiction… Wise, ingenious and passionate’ TLS
‘Bears [Hensher’s] hallmark brilliance … Magnificently succeeds in excavating the sedimentary layers of a neighbourhood in lockdown’ Financial Times
‘Eloquently distils the way in which enforced social distancing made us see the world around us through fresh eyes … an impressive addition to the canon of lockdown fiction’ Mail on Sunday
‘Playful, philosophical, sensual, violent and funny … But above all, it’s defiant: an account of confinement that refuses to be confined’ Literary Review
‘A master novelist and prose stylist … Shifts from sublimely evoked reality to terrifyingly, clearly imagined dystopia’ Country Life
‘Masterly in marrying observations of the minutiae of the lives of ‘ordinary’ people with huge, soaring themes’ AnOther Magazine
‘An imaginative tour de force. The first great lockdown novel, and perhaps the only one we'll need’ Mick Herron, author of Bad Actors
‘Utterly engrossing’ Lissa Evans, author of V for Victory
ISBN: 9780008323141
Dimensions: 198mm x 129mm x 22mm
Weight: 340g
304 pages